Transcript Focusing on the Issues

Focusing on the issues
Quirky works
• Watch 'David Mitchell's Soapbox' at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/video/2011/sep/15/david-mitchell-soapbox-climate-change-doubters-video
• Spot the following techniques:
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Irony and humour
Rhetorical questions
Repetition
Questioning
Hypothetical examples
Emphatic tone
Picking your target
• David Mitchell doesn't take a wide topic to
consider, such as 'the environment': he narrows
the focus down to argue against those who deny
climate change.
• Why is it effective to narrow your focus like this?
• Have a look at other David Mitchell Soapboxes –
they may give you an idea for your own topic!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/series/david-mitchell-soap-box
Looking through windows
• Most topics – even ones which are commonly
considered, such as euthanasia, animal rights, the
environment, etc – are incredibly complex and
cannot be adequately covered in a 500–1000
word essay or 5-minute speech.
• It is therefore necessary to narrow our focus as
much as possible and explore the topic in depth.
There may be a number of issues we could
consider, a number of 'windows' we could look at
the topic through; we have to choose which one.
School uniform
• School uniform is a topic which is tackled
(perhaps too) often by candidates. But what
do we mean by 'school uniform'?
• What 'windows' could we look at the topic
through?
• What might come under these headings?
Explain, expand, exemplify
How do we focus?
• First, we explain our point.
• Then, we expand on the reasons why we think
that.
• Finally, we exemplify our point with an
example from real life and/or a hypothetical
example.
Think about David Mitchell's argument.
• Explain: people who don't think climate change is
a danger should prove to us that it isn't.
• Expand: every scientist thinks climate change at
least might be a danger, so if it is possible we
shouldn't take the risk and continue to damage
the planet.
• Exemplify: (a) if there is a lot of evidence that our
house is on fire, we don't carry behaving as if it
isn't just because we don't have proof; (b) if
there's a possibility that a toy is even remotely
dangerous to children, we withdraw it.
• Take some of the arguments about school uniform given in
slide 7.
• Briefly note how you might explain, expand and exemplify
those arguments
Explain
Expand
1. School uniform is The annual cost of
expensive for
kitting out a child is
parents
excessive.
2.
3.
4.
•Exemplify
• While most clothing can be bought as and when
needed, parents have to buy uniform just before
the return to school, meaning a heavy one-off
burden in August. If a family has several children,
that burden is multiplied many times over.
• Many items of school uniform are flimsy – skirts
and shirts – and quickly wear out. Replacement
adds to the expense.
Your own writing
• Take a section of writing you have already
done: it might be a blog or tweet, notes from
a previous exercise or an old essay.
• Try to develop that writing using explain,
expand, exemplify.
Peer / Self Evaluation
• With a partner, share a piece of writing you
have each produced using the EEE structure.
Compare each other’s writing, commenting on
the following success criteria:
– Does the writing Explain a point of view clearly?
– Does the writing effectively Expand that point of
view?
– Is a sensible Exemplification of the point of view
offered?